Monday, June 18, 2012
Where Was Dad When You Were Born?
Do you know where Dad was when you were born? The younger generation may assume that he was in the delivery room holding mother's hand. He wasn't. Dads couldn't be in the delivery room until the 1980s. Prior to that, doctors felt it was risky to have non-medical personnel in with them. Now, how many dads really want to be in the delivery room, I'm not sure. I don't think our dad would have welcomed the idea at all, but I could be wrong.
Anyway, I did a fun little 'interview' with dad in the early 80s. I had some questions from a magazine article titled "How Well Do You Know Your Dad?" I think Dad enjoyed filling me in on some of the questions. He even added a couple of extra ones he thought I should know about. I will do another post or two and give you all the other questions and his answers. But we'll start with this post and the title's question. It was one of the questions in the questionnaire.
But now the low-down on where Dad was when each of us were born:
LuAnn -- in Las Vegas (He was employed as the time keeper at a construction site. He didn't see LuAnn until September when she was 2 months old.);
Lawrence -- admitting mother (so he was in another part of the hospital);
Charles -- in the hallway (I do believe this was the birth where Dad had to run to get a taxi and the memory was that they barely made it to the hospital in time. I also remember that mother sent him to get the taxi with her first labor pain. Her labors were really fast.);
Cherie -- waiting room;
Carol -- waiting room;
Pat -- picking up the doctor's clothes (I wish I could remember more detail on this one. I believe mother's doctor would have been her cousin -- Dr. Harvard Luke and perhaps for that reason they sent Dad to fetch the doctor's clothes from his house. Why he wouldn't have had clothes with him is anyone's guess. Dad didn't say he was somewhere in the hospital, like picking up the doctor's clothes off the floor so I do believe he wasn't at the hospital but was doing an errand.);
Mike -- fishing on the Salmon River;
Bruce -- waiting room;
So, how did you do? Did you know any of these?
Belated Happy Father's Day to all your dads out there. I always miss my Dad on Father's Day.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This is from Bruce:
ReplyDeleteInteresting review of the way life/society is constantly changing.
Salmon river -- maybe that is why Mike got hooked at that very river.
I would not have missed the births of my children and to share that first breath with Wendee, AJ and Lyssa, and being able to welcome them into life. I only wish I could have armed them for the challenges that lay ahead.
Truly do appreciate your efforts on this blog and reminding us of the importance of family.
Some interesting stuff!! I had no idea where Dad was with any of our Births. But I find the answers rather interesting. I too had pretty fast deliveries, so I know about no time to dwaddle. I can't imagine having to go get a taxi. I would have just called for one....but what if you didn't have a phone.....yes there were days when people didn't have phones or cars. I am so glad that I live in these amazing times. I think all in all it was pretty important to Dad when he had children even tho he did it so many times.
ReplyDeleteYou know Cheri, I hadn't really thought about that -- how important it was to dad, this birthing of children. Even though Dad would never have chosen at the outset to have eight children, he considered it a solemn responsibility when each of us was born. And, he bore that responsibility with honor throughout his life. When I verbally gave the quiz to day I simply had asked him where he was when I was born. I didn't know. And I really wasn't all that interested in where he was when my siblings were born. Sorry. I was just interested in doing the quiz. But Dad volunteered the information, that he knew where he was when every child was born and then quickly and without hesitation recited them to me. That was pretty cool. I was impressed.
Deletemake that 'quiz to dad'
Delete